Jamieson Laboratories workers back on strike
No date has been set to resume talks after members reject tentative deal
Striking workers at Jamieson Laboratories in Windsor turned down a tentative agreement Sunday that would have ended their nearly four-week-old.
“At the ratification today, our members spoke and 67 per cent of our members rejected the tentative agreement,” said Unifor Local 195 president Emile Nabbout.
The Unifor Local 195 bargaining team reached a tentative agreement Friday with Jamieson Laboratories in Windsor.
A strike by its 317 members began Feb. 1.
No details of the agreement were made public. The ratification meeting was held Sunday morning at the Caboto Club.
Before the vote, Nabbout was hopeful the deal would be accepted.
“We're very pleased that the bargaining team from the union was able to find a mutual solution with Jamieson and rectify this labour dispute and we're able to go back to business and continue celebrating the success of the Jamieson brand,” Nabbout said.
“We resumed bargaining (Friday morning) at 10 a.m. and within a few hours we reached a settlement.”
Nabbout said the agreement was able to address the core issues in the labour dispute for the 296 full-time employees and 21 part-timers in the membership.
Economic gains were the priority, along with some concerns around the issue of workloads.
“We stand on the principles and mandate the membership have given us,” said Nabbout of the workers who walked out at midnight on Feb. 1.
“We're pleased both parties came to the conclusion that the only way we could solve this dispute is if the bargaining committee feel confident that they find some satisfactory result in the proposal that (Jamieson) put on the table.
Following Sunday's rejection of the tentative deal, Nabbout said union officials were reaching out to company officials to express their willingness to resume bargaining.
“We told the employer that our members are not accepting the offer,” he said.
“And there is an expectation for more money to be given to those workers who ... believe that the company is making record profit.
“Our organization, we respect the voice of our members and we have to accept what the members
We respect the voice of our members and we have to accept what the members really told us, that this offer on the table is not enough.
really told us, that this offer on the table is not enough.”
Members were informed to resume picket line duties.
Nabbout said there is no date yet to resume talks with the employer.
“As soon as both parties feel that there is a date we could resume discussion, we will return to the table as soon as we can,” he said.
Nabbout said under the expired agreement, non-skilled production workers earned an average of $27 per hour. Skilled trades earned an average of $35.50 per hour.